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Archive for October 17th, 2012
UK shale gas not at odds with climate targets: report
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 17th, 2012
Reuters: Britain can exploit its shale gas reserves without worrying about meeting its targets to cut carbon emissions, provided the government continues to support green energy, consultancy Poyry said.
Environmentalists have voiced concerns that a boom in shale gas production in Britain could have a damaging impact on the country's plan to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
"You can develop shale and you can still achieve your carbon targets. The one caveat to that is that if the government...
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Mich. Pipeline Fight: Frustration Builds Over Elected Leaders’ Silence
Posted by Inside Climate News: None Given on October 17th, 2012
Inside Climate News: At first, Katy Bodenmiller was dumbfounded by the response from U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow [3], a two-term Michigan Democrat. Bodenmiller had written to Stabenow in early July asking why the senator and other Michigan officials hadn't weighed in on a plan by Enbridge Inc. [4], a Canadian pipeline operator, to replace oil pipeline 6B [5], which slices across 210 miles of southern Michigan and through Bodenmiller's two-acre property. Bodenmiller suggested to Stabenow that the project deserved extra...
Extinction from global warming
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 17th, 2012
ScienceDaily: A new study, published online Oct. 17, 2012 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, reviewed 136 case studies to determine the underlying causes of why many populations have gone extinct due to changing climate.
The article, entitled "How does climate change cause extinction?" describes research led by John J. Wiens, an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University and by PhD students Abigail E. Cahill and Matthew E. Aiello-Lammens.
According to the...
Chevron dealt new blow in Ecuador pollution case
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 17th, 2012
Reuters: Ecuadorean plaintiffs on Tuesday said an order issued by a court lets them seize $200m (£124m) worth of assets belonging to Chevron in a new legal blow to the US oil company. The plaintiffs from villages in the oil-rich Amazon won an $18.2bn case against the oil giant over claims that Texaco, bought by Chevron in 2001, contaminated the area from 1964 to 1992. Damages were increased to $19bn in July. Among the assets ordered turned over are $96.3m that Ecuador's government owes Chevron, money held...
Scientists have ‘limited knowledge’ of how climate change causes extinction
Posted by Guardian: Ian Sample on October 17th, 2012
Guardian: A major review into the impact of climate change on plants and animals has found that scientists have almost no idea how it drives various species to extinction.
Though some organisms struggle to cope physiologically with rising temperatures – a simple and direct result of climate change – there was scarce evidence this was the main climate-related threat to many species whose numbers were already falling.
More often, climate change took its toll on life through more complex and indirect routes,...
FAO to partner CBD on biodiversity
Posted by SciDevNet: T. V. Padma on October 17th, 2012
SciDevNet: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will work together on programmes that address climate change, food security and biodiversity loss.
Two memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed last week (11 Oct) on the sidelines of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) of the CBD in Hyderabad, India, aim to promote partnerships covering research, practice and policy between the two UN institutions.
The first MoU was signed by the CBD, International...
Exxon to Buy Canadian Oil and Gas Company for $3.1 Billion
Posted by New York Times: Michael J. de La Merced on October 17th, 2012
New York Times: Exxon is buying more oil and gas assets in North America. In September, Exxon agreed to acquire Denbury Resources properties in the Bakken shale for $1.6 billion.
Exxon Mobil agreed on Wednesday to buy Celtic Exploration for about $3.1 billion in cash and stock, as it sought to expand its presence in the energy-rich shale formations of western Canada.
Under the terms of the deal, Exxon will pay about 24.50 Canadian dollars ($24.92) a share, 35 percent above Celtic`s closing price on Tuesday...
Nobel Winner Joins Keystone XL Pipeline Opposition
Posted by Globe and Mail: Mark Hume on October 17th, 2012
Globe and Mail: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams and a growing array of entertainers, including Michael Moore, Daryl Hannah and Mark Ruffalo, are adding their voices to a protest against a proposed pipeline across British Columbia.
Ms. Williams, an American who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her work to ban anti-personnel landmines, said at a press conference in Vancouver on Tuesday that a tour along the pipeline route left her convinced that local communities will halt the proposed Enbridge...
Canada: Oil Sands Environmental Blueprint to be Released by Government on Wednesday
Posted by Calgary Herald: Ames Wood on October 17th, 2012
Calgary Herald: Albertans will get a better sense Wednesday of how a “world-class” monitoring system for the province is supposed to work when a long-awaited report is unveiled by the Progressive Conservative government.
Environment Minister Diana McQueen will release a report on environmental monitoring along with Howard Tennant, who chaired the working group that prepared the document.
The study deals with several issues, including what entity should have oversight of data collected by a new federal-provincial...
Whistleblower Paid Price for TransCanada Pipeline Complaints
Posted by CBC: None Given on October 17th, 2012
CBC: A former TransCanada engineer says he reported its substandard practices to the federal energy regulator because he believed the company’s management, right up to the chief executive officer, refused to act on his complaints.
In an exclusive television interview with CBC News, Evan Vokes said he raised concerns about the competency of some pipeline inspectors and the company’s lack of compliance with welding regulations set by the National Energy Board (NEB), the federal energy industry regulator....